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" This morning I was side-swiped by a Toyota Camry. It was odd feeling \u2013 this seeing the car zoom in front of me but having no power to stop the crash. There was not even time for an adrenaline build-up. Metal into metal, slight screech of tires, it was over before it began. I pulled to the side of the road behind the compact. A slight girl, half my age, jumped out of the car. Dressed in a tee shirt, jeans and some Ugg boots, she mumbled something about &amp;quot;Being late for school.&amp;quot; She also checked her back bumper. &amp;quot;It looks okay to me,&amp;quot; she muttered, &amp;quot;So I better go. I&amp;#039;ll never get a parking space now.&amp;quot; I looked at her dumbfounded. I wanted to scream, &amp;quot;What about me you selfish brat. My front bumper is smushed more than a pug&amp;#039;s nose!&amp;quot; But for some reason my blood pressure didn&amp;#039;t even rise. Instead of seeing a self-absorbed princess, I made the split second evaluation to view her for what she really was: A stressed out college student. I was there once myself. I showed her the damage to my car. It was then she started to whimper, something about, &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not even my car! Will me insurance go up? Will it cost a lot?&amp;quot; I lied, telling her it would be fine - whatever would calm her down. We exchanged information. As she was about to leave, I told her to look at the back passenger side also. &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s no damage there,&amp;quot; she said, almost defensively, as if I was going to make her pay for a new door also. &amp;quot;Open it,&amp;quot; I instructed. She obeyed. Her face fell as she peered at my two children, five and four. They were coloring; oblivious to what had just occurred. &amp;quot;Oh my God, you have kids! I&amp;#039;m so sorry!&amp;quot; It was the first admission of looking beyond her own precious schedule. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s okay,&amp;quot; I calmly responded. &amp;quot;But please think of this as dodging a bullet. It could have been so much worse. No class, no appointment... NOTHING is worth it. You have to pay attention.&amp;quot; She agreed, apologized again, and off she went. As I drove to the kids&amp;#039; school, I thought about my own life \u2013 specifically my marriage. How often, like that college student, do I drive through my relationship with only my own needs in mind? How often, when Rex runs out of gas, do I willingly fill up his tank for him? How kind am I if he makes a mistake and crashes, such as forgetting something silly that I asked him to do for me? As I looked into my rear view mirror, I was once again reminded of why I love my husband. Nothing else matters. I only pray I can remember that every single day. As for all of you and your marriages, drive safe. (And don&amp;#039;t forget to have sex! It&amp;#039;s a marriage&amp;#039;s form of insurance.) "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a2780/driving-your-marriage/>